52 The HISTORY of the PURITANS: Chap. II. King young king was now languifhing under a confumption, and drawing near - Edward VI.. end. r4 It muft however be confefs'd, that in the courfe of this, as well as the Blemea f lait reign, there was a very great alienation of church property: The chant:- thenReforma- try lands were fold among the laity, fome of whom held five or fix pre- bendaries or canonries, while the clergy themfelves were in want. Bithop C .e2: _ion f Latimer complains in one of his fermons, " That the revenues of the Lands. " church, were feized by the rich laity, and that the incumbent was only " a proprietor in title. That many benefices were let out to farm by fe- " cular men, or given to their fervants, as a confederation for keeping " their hounds, hawks and horfes ; and that the poor clergy were reduced to fuch fhort allowance, that they were forced to go to fervice ; to turn " clerks of the kitchen, furveyors, receivers, f&c." And Cambden com- plains, " That avarice and facrilege had ftrangely the afcendant at this " time : That eftates formerly fettled for the fupport of religion and the `° poor, were ridicul'd as fuperftitious endowments; firft mifcalled, and "then plundered." The bifhops were too eafy in parting with the lands and manors belonging to their bifhopricks, and the courtiers were too greedy Hp/t. Refor. in grafping at every thing they could lay their hands on. If the revenues vol. III. of the church had been abufed to fu erftition, they might have been con- p. 218. P y L. of Cran. verted to other religious ufes ; or if too great a proportion of the riches of P 290- the kingdom was in the hands of the church, they fhould firft have made an ample provifion for the maintenance of the clergy, and the endowment of fmaller livings, before they had inriched their friends and families. SomsProtefl- Nor were the lives,of many who were zealous for the reformation, free ants of a Ir eentioua life. from fcandal : The courtiers and great men indulg'd themfelves in a diffo- lute and licentious life; and the clergy were not without their blemifhes. Some who embraced the reformationwere far from adorning their profef- feon, which difpofed the people to return to their old fuperititions : Never- thelefs there were many great and fhining lights among them, who preach- ed and prayed fervently againft the corruptions of the times, and were an example to their flocks, by the ftriEtnefs and feverity of their lives and manners; but their numbers were fmall, in comparifon to thofe who lived otherwife, turning the doctrines of grace into rafcivioufnefs. Reformation We have now feen the length of king Edward's reformation. It was an fleft . ta amper- . adventurous undertaking for a few bifhops and privy counfellors, to change the religionof a nation, only by the advantage of the fupremacy of a minor, without the confent of the people in parliament or convocation, and under the eye of a prefumptive heir, who was a declared enemy of all their pro - ceedings ; as was thecafe in the former part of this reign. We have taken notice of the miftaken principles of the reformers, in making ufe of the civil power to force men to conformity ; and of their ftretching the laws to reach at
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